Tor.com Unveils Dangerous Women

By Shawn Speakman on July 29, 2013

With the advent of the ebook, short stories are flourishing.

And, as a consequence, so are anthologies!

Unfettered is a case in point. It has sold amazingly well. The anthology has a hell of an author line-up—yes, I’m a little biased as its editor—and the contributors donated their short stories because our current culture made it easy for them to do so.

What is that culture? Short stories, sold usually at a flat price to an anthologist/publisher, did not have much of an after market once that anthology went out of print. The short story was good publicity, usually nothing more. But with the advent of the ebook and online electronic sales, writers feel a great deal more comfortale writing short stories, selling them to anthologies, and then getting said short stories contractually back within 18 months to eventually sell on their own in perpetuity.

This is creating a new culture, one where some great writers are contributing to great anthologies more freely. Unfettered is one such book. Carniepunk is another new example. And Dangerous Women by Tor Books is another!

In December, Dangerous Women edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois will publish to the masses. It features short stories by some of the best in the science fiction/fantasy genre and, with a new George R. R. Martin Ice & Fire story, it promises to be a huge release. But it also features great talent. Diana Gabaldon. Jim Butcher. Lev Grossman. Brandon Sanderson. Joe Abercrombie. Carrie Vaughn. The list goes on and on.

Tor.com has begun featuring excerpts from some of the stories! This is something Tor did for Unfettered and it was hugely successful. It’s great to get a glimpse at new work from some of the best writers working right now.